Shows / All Day Digital
All Day Digital
Welcome to All Day Digital, a CoBank podcast series dedicated to the U.S. telecommunications sector. Hosted by Jeff Johnston, lead communications economist with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, All Day Digital connects you with industry executives and thought leaders for timely insights and in-depth market analysis.
Episodes
- All Day Digital
How SpaceX and Starlink could disrupt the mobile market
SpaceX’s plan to build and operate a mobile network has the broadband industry buzzing. In this episode of All Day Digital, WAVSYS’ Tim Courtney explains how…
- All Day Digital
Should electric co-ops sell their broadband networks?
Electric co-ops showed up for their rural communities and built broadband networks when no one else would. Now, surging energy demand has some weighing whether…
- All Day Digital
How small operators can pivot under the supply chain squeeze
As hyperscalers buy up fiber and optical gear, rural broadband operators are getting creative. In this episode of All Day Digital, Nex-Tech COO Justin McClung…
- All Day Digital
Rural broadband providers face a new era of competition
Rural broadband providers can no longer rely on a “build it and they will come” approach. Tougher competition demands aggressive strategy. In this episode of…
- All Day Digital
Lenders are getting more creative in digital infrastructure
Demand for debt and equity capital is surging with the accelerating investments in AI infrastructure, data centers, fiber networks and broadband builds. In…
- All Day Digital
The rise of managed Wi-Fi in multi-family housing
As rental demand rises, Gigstreem is making managed Wi-Fi in multi-family buildings mission‑critical infrastructure. In this episode of All Day Digital, CFO…
- All Day Digital
NTCA’s new CEO fixes on ‘service’ in Universal Service Fund
In a fast-changing market, rural broadband providers need all the advocacy and tools they can get. NTCA’s new CEO Mike Romano shares his agenda in this episode…
- All Day Digital
How broadband providers can know it’s time to go mobile
If you’re a regional broadband provider, ask yourself: In five years, will I have gained or lost customers if I don’t offer mobile service? In this episode of…
- All Day Digital
Why wireless infrastructure sharing may be inevitable
Most Americans already own a smartphone—so how do wireless carriers sustain margins in a saturated market? One answer may be infrastructure sharing, much like…
- All Day Digital
What’s ahead for broadband and AI infrastructure in 2026
In this episode of All Day Digital, Jeff Johnston shares his insights on three key areas of the digital infrastructure market in 2026: competition in…
- All Day Digital
Digital infrastructure financing enters its high-stakes era
The amount of capital pouring into digital infrastructure is staggering, and new financing structures are attracting risk-tolerant capital across the…
- All Day Digital
Open access, fixed wireless, and fiber wars: Where broadband goes next
Broadband internet provider Nuvera has succeeded in southern Minnesota by balancing its strong willingness to adapt with a clear focus on rural communities. In…
- All Day Digital
From Ma Bell to Meta, it’s time to rethink USF
Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the Universal Service Fund, stakeholders are reengaging in the task of overhauling its outdated funding mechanisms. In…
- All Day Digital
Why rural towns are winning the data center boom
Rural towns are attracting huge data centers that handle artificial intelligence training work, due in part to their location agnostic nature. In this episode…
- All Day Digital
Are AI infrastructure investments sustainable?
The hyperscalers are transitioning to a new artificial intelligence platform, signaling a surge in computing power deployment is just ahead. In this episode of…
- All Day Digital
How will BEAD 2.0 re-shape the rural broadband landscape?
The new technology-neutral approach of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program means fixed wireless and satellite networks will likely play a…
- All Day Digital
ABS financing spurs data center builds
Data center financing is becoming more creative, with asset-backed securities claiming the lion’s share. CoBank Vice President Omar Oronia says total…
- All Day Digital
How BEAD-invested operators can stay nimble
What will the new administration mean for broadband operators deeply invested in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program? In this episode of All…
- All Day Digital
What to know before planting your fiber flag
Rural broadband operators are feeling a sense of urgency to deploy new network builds, but proper execution is critical. In this episode of All Day Digital…
- All Day Digital
Data center energy use will spike in the next three years. Then what?
Data centers’ share of all U.S. electricity use could hit 12% by 2028 but beyond that is too hard to predict, according to a new DOE Lawrence Berkeley Lab…
- All Day Digital
How nuclear energy could triple capacity by 2050
The data center industry is pouring billions of dollars to restart old nuclear facilities and develop new technologies as it searches for more energy sources…
- All Day Digital
The rise of satellite Internet
In 2025, Amazon’s Project Kuiper service is entering the satellite internet residential market, joining Starlink, HughesNet and Viasat. In this episode of All…
- All Day Digital
What’s going on behind closed doors in the private broadband market
Drawing from CoBank’s unique visibility into the private broadband market, Jeff Johnston shares his expert opinions in this year-end episode of All Day…
- All Day Digital
Why broadband providers should embrace BEAD, warts and all
While the BEAD funding program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand rural broadband coverage, some providers have decided the red tape burdens just…
- All Day Digital
Delayed rip and replace funding shrinks rural wireless coverage
About six years ago, rural operators were told to rip out and replace non-compliant, Chinese-made equipment from communication networks. However, the mandate…
- All Day Digital
The bridge across the digital divide needs maintenance
Federal programs are helping bridge the digital divide, but what then? Maintaining, sustaining and keeping networks affordable is the next objective, says…
- All Day Digital
USF court ruling leaves rural telecom in limbo
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the FCC’s Universal Service Fund is unconstitutional, a split from two circuit courts’ previous decisions…
- All Day Digital
How banks are embracing high-leverage broadband borrowers
Competition, growth opportunities and the race to get broadband service to the un- and underserved is forcing some providers to think more creatively about…
- All Day Digital
Rural broadband operators on the front lines of national security
From Virginia to Alaska, the U.S. government is boosting national security investments, creating new opportunities and challenges for rural broadband…
- All Day Digital
Why rural America is the training ground for AI
Over the last two years, more data has been created than in all of human history combined, and it’s not slowing down.The “compute” phase of generative…
- All Day Digital
Leaving no stone unturned, Wisconsin ISPs explore all BEAD options
Despite the uncertainties around BEAD implementation, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity rural operators should consider. In this episode of All Day…
- All Day Digital
Why fixed wireless is where operators should focus
Whether rural or national, the growth opportunity for all wireless operators is in fixed wireless, says expert Tim Courtney with Further Enterprise Solutions…
- All Day Digital
The data center surge rides on rural power
Thanks to the emergence of artificial intelligence, demand for data centers is red hot. Data centers run on power-hungry chips, so they are locating to rural…
- All Day Digital
Rural broadband jeopardized by USF legal threats
The Universal Service Fund, an FCC program that ensures connectivity in rural America, is being challenged in U.S. federal circuit court. The outcome could be…
- All Day Digital
Why broadband borrowers are the Goldilocks of 2024
Money, money, money – an abundance is being directed toward rural broadband in 2024, but with caveats and conditions and a dizzying array of private and public…
- All Day Digital
Navigating broadband’s financial frontier with asset securitization
With rising interest rates and tightening credit, broadband companies are exploring alternative ways of raising capital. One option getting attention is the…
- All Day Digital
Rip and replace has stalled, and that threatens national security
The effort to rip out and replace non-compliant, Chinese-made equipment from communication networks has been hobbled by a 60% funding shortfall and processing…
- All Day Digital
Why fewer hands hold more towers and other digital assets
First it was towers, and now it’s fiber: The days of separately owned digital infrastructure assets are coming to an end. One driver is wireless operators, who…
- All Day Digital
Git along little dogies, and onto the wireless network
In confined settings of chickens, hogs and dairy cows, producers have widely adopted technology that monitors animal health and improves efficiency. But with…
- All Day Digital
The electric co-ops pumping connectivity lifeblood to rural communities
With rigorous experience, commitment and strong balance sheets behind them, rural electric co-ops are doing for broadband today what they did for electricity…
- All Day Digital
How wholesale fiber networks may create new broadband providers
Thanks to wholesale fiber networks, you may soon receive an offer from your wireless provider for a home broadband bundle. In this episode of All Day Digital…
- All Day Digital
Time to dig into the nuances of network fed funding
An alphabet soup of federal funding programs is determining the future of rural telecom, and now’s the time to master the details. This episode of All Day…
- All Day Digital
How broadband providers are building smart rural communities
The most significant outcome of rural broadband is the difference it can make for unserved and underserved communities—the patients, students and farmers…
- All Day Digital
Cable companies bring a new weapon to the broadband battle
In a move that will increase broadband competition for fiber providers, Comcast and Charter have announced plans to boost speeds by deploying DOCSIS 4.0 on…
- All Day Digital
Why the trendy MVNO wireless model might fit smaller operators
Large cable companies are making headlines as mobile virtual network operators, successfully selling wireless services under their own brands. Can the emerging…
- All Day Digital
The “towering” opportunities for rural telecom operators
As national wireless operators expand their coverage in rural America, rural telecom operators’ local knowledge may help them enter the tower industry. In this…
- All Day Digital
Rural communications market defies economic struggles
While inflation and surging interest rates pummel other sectors, rural communications appears unscathed. One driver is the essential role broadband plays in…
- All Day Digital
Why satellites could mean a giant leap for rural mobile users
Satellites are the next giant leap in mobile phone communications, and could have a profound impact on rural Americans. In this episode, CoBank’s Jeff Johnston…
- All Day Digital
BEAD broadband money is coming. Now what?
Now that much of the $65 billion in rural broadband federal funds are heading to states, local level implementation is about to get real. In this episode…
- All Day Digital
Why rural fixed wireless Internet is cheaper than satellite service
In many parts of rural America, building fiber to home networks is too expensive. So, lower-cost wireless networks are emerging as a solution. But not all…
- All Day Digital
How rural telecom should prepare for edge computing
Edge computing is the next long-term growth opportunity for rural telecom operators as data storage and processing that supports low latency applications moves…
All Day DigitalEverything you wanted to know about the Metaverse (but were afraid to ask)
The metaverse is the next frontier in technology: personalized experience in digitally enhanced physical spaces with augmented and mixed reality. In other…
All Day DigitalPlan, share, commit: Rural operators take on supply chain issues
Supply chains snags continue just as U.S. communications companies are working to “rip and replace” Chinese-made equipment from their networks. How can small…
All Day DigitalHow delays of “rip and replace” jeopardize all telecom in U.S.
The federal government promised to reimburse U.S. communication companies to “rip and replace” Chinese-made equipment from their networks. But Congress has yet…
- All Day Digital
Labor, ESG, efficiency, better broadband: The business case for precision ag
Technology in precision agriculture has come a long way over the last several years and improved on-farm efficiency. As the ag economy grapples with ESG…
- All Day Digital
What electric co-ops should know before taking the broadband leap
More and more electric co-ops are entering the broadband business and playing a vital role in bridging the digital divide. But building a broadband service can…
- All Day Digital
The emerging role of private wireless networks
Private wireless networks have the potential to deliver significant benefits for schools, businesses and other organizations throughout rural America, while…
- All Day Digital
Why telecom is attracting a new class of investors
Investor interest in the communications market is red hot, as consumer demand for high-speed digital services seems unstoppable. The amount of money flowing…
- All Day Digital
Rural broadband has hopped from ho-hum to hot
The rural broadband landscape should evolve significantly over the next few years, as an unprecedented amount of capital hits the market. In this inaugural…